Fund Holdings Research Articles

Can Competition Increase Profits in Factor Investing?

The increasing number of institutions exploiting factor-investing strategies raises concerns that competition may erode profits. We use a game-theoretic model to show that, whereas competition among investors exploiting a particular factor erodes profits because of the negative externality of their price impact on each other, competition to exploit other factors can increase profits from the first factor because of the positive externality from trading diversification (netting of trades across factors). Using data for 18 factors as well as mutual fund holdings, we show that competition and trading diversification substantially affect the profits from factor investing. This paper was accepted by Agostino Capponi, finance. Funding: The authors received an INQUIRE-Europe research grant for this project. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.02684 .

How Portfolio Disclosure Impacts Monitoring Spillovers Between Competing Asset Managers

Fund managers can monitor portfolio firms to improve returns, but their incentives to engage depend on other investors' monitoring, e.g., via free riding or collaboration. In this paper, we examine how portfolio disclosure affects monitoring spillovers between competing asset managers. In our model, informed and uninformed funds use monitoring investments to compete with each other over fund flows from investors. We provide conditions for when informed and uninformed fund monitoring are strategic complements, leading to monitoring of the same firms, or strategic substitutes, leading to monitoring of different firms. We then highlight several disclosure implications of our model. Interestingly, disclosure of the informed fund's holdings facilitates monitoring complementarities across funds, above and beyond disclosure providing information to investors and firms. Overall, our results inform the debate on asset managers' incentives to invest in monitoring, and highlight the key role played by portfolio disclosure.

The impact of ESG rating changes on fund shareholding

This study examines the impact of environmental, social and governance (ESG) rating changes on fund shareholding based on rating data from five agencies. Using a sample of Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share listed companies in China spanning from 2019 to 2021, we find robust evidence that the mean value of ESG ratings by agencies positively impact the number of fund holdings, while the standard deviation of ESG ratings by agencies have no impact on the number of fund holdings. Additionally, the mean value of ESG ratings by agencies have a greater impact on the number of fund holdings among state-owned and industrial companies, and the mean value of ESG ratings by agencies has a larger impact on the number of fund holdings in a one-year window than in a six-month window. Moreover, we find that the mean value of ESG ratings by agencies negatively impact the stock price volatility. The results show that ESG rating changes play a positive role in the decision-making of fund shareholding and in promoting the sustainable development of firms.

Do political connections pay? Evidence of corporate payroll tax planning in Chinese firms

ABSTRACT Drawing on a dataset of listed Chinese firms, our study reveals a notable reduction in effective payroll tax rates for politically connected firms. Using China’s anti-corruption campaign as an exogenous shock, our difference-in-differences (DID) analysis indicates a significant increase in the effective payroll tax rates of politically connected firms after the campaign. Well-developed legal institutions, social security fund holdings, and high-quality external audits mitigate the effect of political connections on a firm’s effective payroll tax rates. These results are instrumental in regulating firms’ payroll tax payments from an informal institutional perspective.

Spotting Portfolio Greenwashing in Environmental Funds

AbstractThis paper examines greenwashing practices in environmental funds. We utilize a unique data set of US equity mutual fund holdings between 2012 and 2021 to calculate the funds’ carbon footprints. Using a difference-in-differences analysis, we find that, following their commitments to sustainability, environmental funds fail to reduce their carbon footprints relative to a matched group of conventional funds. We also find, using an event study, a significant increase in the flows of environmental funds in response to these commitments. The combination of the failure to reduce carbon footprints and the surge in inflows provides evidence of greenwashing by environmental funds, raising concerns about their fiduciary duty. Our findings also show that greenwashers tend to initially have low flows and high portfolio carbon emissions suggesting that they announce their commitments to sustainability just to attract investors.

Time distance and mutual fund holding horizon: Evidence from a quasi‐natural experiment setting of high‐speed railway opening

AbstractUsing a quasi‐natural experiment, we investigate whether the opening of high‐speed railways affects mutual fund holdings. Applying the difference‐in‐difference method, we find that mutual fund holdings in remote listed companies increase after the introduction of high‐speed railways in their cities. This effect is primarily observed within the optimal interval of the railway. Opening high‐speed railways also facilitates mutual fund visits to remote listed companies, resulting in increased holdings.

Fund holdings and real earnings management: An empirical analysis of the Chinese A-share market

Drawing on data from Chinese A-share listed companies spanning 2016 to 2023, this study investigates how fund holdings influence real earnings management (REM) practices. The results indicate that: (1) There is a significant negative correlation between fund holdings and REM, suggesting strong external oversight; (2) The governance effect of fund holdings is more pronounced in non-state-owned firms and those with a balanced equity structure, underscoring the critical roles of ownership nature and equity distribution; (3) High-quality internal controls also exhibit a significant negative correlation with REM, serving as a mediating factor between fund holdings and earnings management. These findings deepen our understanding of how institutional investors contribute to corporate governance and enhance internal control systems.

The Asymmetric Effect of Mutual Fund Herding on Price Deviation: Evidence from the Chinese Stock Market

Mutual funds, as significant participants in financial markets, play a crucial role in the formation of asset pricing. The relationship between herding behavior of mutual funds and mispricing has been a subject of intense debate among scholars. In this paper, we investigate the asymmetric impact of mutual fund herding on price deviation and explore the underlying mechanism. In terms of research design, this study selects relevant data on mutual fund holdings and stock trading in the Chinese A-share market from 2010 to 2023, we examine whether herding behavior leads to mispricing, specifically focusing on the asymmetric effects of herding buying and herding selling on stock price deviation from intrinsic value. This study distinguishes the trading direction of mutual fund herding behavior and separately examines the relationship between herding buying behavior and herding selling behavior with stock price deviation. Our empirical findings reveal that buying herding behavior is linked to positive price deviations from intrinsic value. However, selling herding behavior shows no significant relationship with price deviation. Furthermore, our results provide evidence that the herding buying of mutual funds stimulates similar trading sentiments among other market participants and contributes to the formation of market bubbles, while herding selling prompts counterbalancing trades, mitigating the impact of price deviation.

MUTUAL FUND PORTFOLIO ANALYSIS

Abstract — Mutual funds serve as popular investment vehicles due to their potential for diversification and professional management. However, choosing the right funds and optimizing one’s portfolio allocation can be complex. This project presents a comprehensive Mutual Fund Portfolio Analysis system designed to assist investors in making informed decisions. The system allows users to input their mutual fund holdings, tracking them over time to assess performance. It offers a range of analytical tools, including portfolio diversification analysis, risk assessment, and comparison against relevant benchmark indices. These features provide investors with a holistic view of their portfolio’s performance and risk profile. Moreover, the system employs advanced algorithms to generate personalized recommendations for optimizing the portfolio based on the user’s investment goals and risk tolerance. These recommendations aim to enhance returns while managing risk effectively. By utilizing this system, investors can gain deeper insights into their mutual fund investments, enabling them to make well-informed decisions. Ultimately, this project aims to empower investors to achieve their financial goals through strategic mutual fund portfolio management. Keywords – Mutual funds, Portfolio analysis, Investment decisions, Diversification, Risk assessment, Benchmark comparison, Portfolio optimization, Investment goals, Risk tolerance.

The innovation incentive effect of green investors: evidence from fund holdings

ABSTRACT Using data from China A-share non-financial listed firms and mutual funds between 2010–2020, we investigate green investors’ impact on corporate green innovation. Consonant with the received literature, we find a significant incentivization effect, where green shareholders positively influence innovation by improving governance and mitigating financial constraints. This result suggests that incentivization is more pronounced in the realm of utility innovation and within state-owned enterprises.

GENERATIONAL INVESTMENT PATTERNS IN MUTUAL FUNDS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF GENERATION X AND MILLENNIALS

This Master’s thesis examines the investment patterns in mutual funds across two distinct generational cohorts: Generation X and Millennials. The primary aim of this study is to analyze and compare the investment behaviors and preferences between these two groups, focusing on factors such as risk tolerance, investment time horizon, and preferred fund types. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative data analysis of investment portfolios with qualitative surveys and interviews, this research provides a comprehensive view of how generational differences influence investment decisions. The quantitative analysis involves a statistical examination of mutual fund holdings and transactions sourced from a proprietary database covering the period from 2010 to 2020. Meanwhile, the qualitative component features insights from over 200 individual interviews with representatives of each generation, supplemented by surveys to gauge attitudes towards various investment strategies and market outlooks. Initial findings suggest significant divergences in the investment strategies between Generation X and Millennials. Generation X investors tend to favor income-focused and balanced funds, displaying a preference for stability and long-term growth, influenced possibly by their proximity to retirement. In contrast, Millennials are more inclined towards equity-heavy portfolios and show a greater propensity for embracing emerging market funds and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) themed investments, driven by higher risk tolerance and a longer investment horizon. This thesis not only highlights the distinct investment preferences of these generations but also delves into the sociopolitical and economic factors that might influence these patterns. Furthermore, it discusses the implications of these generational differences for financial advisors, mutual fund managers, and policymakers. By identifying and understanding these generational investment behaviors, industry professionals can better tailor their approaches to meet the needs and preferences of each demographic group, enhancing client satisfaction and engagement. This comparative study contributes to the financial industry’s understanding of demographic shifts and their impacts on market trends, offering valuable insights for developing more targeted and effective investment products and strategies.

Investing while lending: Do index funds improve managerial information disclosure?

Securities lending activities have become pervasive among index funds in recent decades, yet its impact on information disclosure remains unclear. In this paper, we jointly investigate the information disclosure impact of both investing and lending activities of index funds, using a sample of the U.S. firms for 2002–2017. On the one hand, we document that securities lending deteriorates the information environment of public firms. On the other, index fund holdings are associated with greater information transparency and less bad news hoarding by firm managers, after controlling for the opposing effects from securities lending. This finding survives a battery of robustness tests and is more pronounced in a small sample using the Russell 1000/2000 index reconstitution as a source of plausibly exogenous variation in index fund holdings. We also document a negative association between index ownership and abnormal trading activities around stock price crash weeks. Our findings support the view that regardless of their pervasive securities lending engagement and passive investing strategies, index funds impose an overall favourable impact on information environment of public firms.

Portfolio pumping and dumping among Chinese mutual fund companies

This study documents the engagement of Chinese mutual fund companies in year-end ranking games, in which they strategically buy and sell stocks substantially held by star funds and their competitors. Non-star funds contribute to approximately half of the buying and almost all selling. Fund companies actively participating in the game can attract more investment flows, but this comes at the cost of distorted relative performance among star funds and heightened return volatility across all involved funds. Furthermore, major holdings of star funds experience return reversals, increased idiosyncratic volatilities, and excessive trading around year-ends. The advent of FinTech platforms in mutual fund distribution amplifies these gaming behaviors.

Wrong Kind of Transparency? Mutual Funds’ Higher Reporting Frequency, Window Dressing, and Performance

ABSTRACTThis study examines whether mandatory increase in reporting frequency exacerbates agency problems. Utilizing the setting of the 2004 SEC mandate on increased reporting frequency of mutual fund holdings, we show that increased reporting frequency elevates window dressing (buying winners or selling losers shortly before the end of the reporting period). This effect is driven by low‐skill fund managers’ incentives to generate mixed signals. Funds managed by low‐skill managers experience lower returns, more outflows, and a higher collapse rate when their window dressing is elevated after the 2004 rule change. These results suggest that, although higher reporting frequency on agents’ actions can exacerbate signal manipulations, the related manipulation costs improve sorting among agents in the longer term.

Identifying Hidden Factors Associated with Household Emergency Fund Holdings: A Machine Learning Application

This paper describes the results from a study designed to illustrate the use of machine learning analytical techniques from a household consumer perspective. The outcome of interest in this study is a household’s degree of financial preparedness as indicated by the presence of an emergency fund. In this study, six machine learning algorithms were evaluated and then compared to predictions made using a conventional regression technique. The selected ML algorithms showed better prediction performance. Among the six ML algorithms, Gradient Boosting, kNN, and SVM were found to provide the most robust degree of prediction and classification. This paper contributes to the methodological literature in consumer studies as it relates to household financial behavior by showing that when prediction is the main purpose of a study, machine learning techniques provide detailed yet nuanced insights into behavior beyond traditional analytic methods.

A Skew is a Skill: Portfolio Skewness of Mutual Fund Holdings

A Skew is a Skill: Portfolio Skewness of Mutual Fund Holdings

Federal Reserve System Exchange-Traded Funds Holdings: An Operational Observation

Federal Reserve System Exchange-Traded Funds Holdings: An Operational Observation

Individual investment adaptations to COVID-19 lockdowns

Utilizing online wealth management data from Ant Financial and manually curated data from COVID-19 lockdown regions in China, this study sheds light on the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on individual investment pattern. Applying a Staggered Difference-in-Differences methodology, we find significant decrease in both the volume and proportion of individual holdings in risky mutual funds after their initial exposure to lockdowns. This decline mainly corresponds to a decrease in risky mutual fund purchases and an increase in redemptions. Mechanism analysis reveals this change is due to a notable decrease in individuals’ overall assets during lockdowns, leading to a higher allocation toward risk-free money market funds. Heterogeneity analysis highlights these impacts are more pronounced among individuals with lower risk tolerance. Additionally, there is a notable drop in individuals’ equity fund holdings. The lockdowns prompt a conservative shift in individuals’ wealth strategies.

Political connections, corruption, and investment decisions of Chinese mutual funds

We examine the impact of political connections on the investment decisions of Chinese mutual funds. We identify a direct link between mutual funds' political connections and stocks held from the same political network using hand-collected information on the professional backgrounds of Chinese mutual fund managers and fund management company (FMC) shareholders. While mutual funds tend to allocate more investments to stocks based on their political connections, this effect alleviates somewhat after the 2012 anti-corruption campaign. Our findings suggest that anti-corruption campaigns can help reduce the political effects of government-related agencies on fund holdings and contribute to better market fairness.

Hedge fund ownership and the innovation of high-tech firms: Evidence from the Science and technology innovation board in China

High-tech firms stand apart from traditional firms due to their emphasis on innovation. This paper provides empirical evidence indicating new mechanisms through which hedge fund holdings enhances innovation of high-tech firms listed on the Science and Technology Innovation Board in China. Different from that of traditional firms, this paper finds that hedge fund ownership enhances innovation output by increasing innovation input and improving innovation efficiency of high-tech firms in China. The positive relationship is especially evident among firms with long-term holdings by hedge funds, low agency costs, a high degree of equity checks and balances, and those that are privately held enterprises.